About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Midwestern Journal of Undergraduate Sciences is an online publication that advances knowledge of undergraduate life sciences research through research studies and critical reviews of the literature available in an open-access forum. Submissions are invited from diverse disciplines and a range of research paradigms that contribute to scholarship for the undergraduate research community as well as the broader field of biology.

Publication Frequency

The Midwestern Journal of Undergraduate Sciences will be published once a year in the Summer. Submissions are required by May 1 of each year.

Open Access Policy

The Midwestern Journal of Undergraduate Sciences will utilize the Creative Commons licensing protocols for open access content at the Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) level, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon work non-commercially.  All new works must acknowledge the original source and be non-commercial. 

Submissions

Submissions are open to undergraduate(s) and their mentors. Master's degree and community college students are encouraged to write proposal letters for reviews, these articles will then be accepted by invitation only. For more information, please write to me at jtreml@ku.edu with the subject heading: 'MJUSc'

Review Policy Statement

The Midwestern Journal of Undergraduate Sciences is committed to a fair, single-blind ‘light’ peer-review process. We place the highest value on rigorous experimental planning and the inclusion of appropriate scientific controls. Our primary goal is to help undergraduates learn—through example—how to design experiments that produce results that can be trusted.

While the novelty of a study enhances its contribution, it is secondary to the quality of its design and execution. As a reviewer, your feedback plays a critical role in modeling good scientific practice and supporting the development of future researchers.

It is important to recognize that while graduating students should be expected to respond to reviewer comments and revise their manuscripts accordingly, they will rarely have the opportunity to return to the lab to conduct additional experiments. With this in mind, recommendations such as “Revise experimental work and resubmit for further review” should be reserved for cases where experimental controls are insufficient and the work must be redone in a future academic cycle before it can be reconsidered.

Ethical Conduct

MJUSc expects all research involving human subjects, animals, or biohazards to have received appropriate institutional approval (e.g., IRB, IACUC). Authors must disclose relevant approvals in the manuscript.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence the content or evaluation of the manuscript. Any potential conflicts will be assessed and managed according to COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to share underlying data through repositories, supplementary materials, or upon request, in keeping with best practices for transparency and reproducibility.

Corrections and Retractions

MJUSc reserves the right to issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions if post-publication issues are identified. Authors will be notified and consulted in such cases, following COPE standards.